Vibration damping gimbal sleeve for an aerial vehicle

ABSTRACT

A gimbal sleeve for connecting to a camera gimbal may float between a floor surface and a ceiling surface of an aerial vehicle chassis such that the gimbal sleeve has freedom of motion in yaw, pitch, and roll directions relative to the vehicle chassis. The gimbal sleeve may comprise a pair of connection points to the lower dampers on a floor surface of the vehicle chassis and a pair of connection points to upper dampers on a ceiling surface of the vehicle chassis. The connection points include spring forces that enable the gimbal sleeve to return to an equilibrium position in response to external vibrations and reduce the magnitude of vibrations transferred from the aerial vehicle to the gimbal and camera systems.

FIELD OF ART

The disclosure generally relates to the field of aerial photography andin particular to a vibration damping mechanism in an aerial vehiclecarrying a camera.

DESCRIPTION OF ART

Unstabilized videos taken from a camera attached to a flying aerialvehicle are often so shaky and unstable that they are unusable.Additionally, even if the video can be digitally stabilized inpost-processing, vibrations of the aerial vehicle during flight canintroduce unwanted noise into the audio channel. An electronic gimbalbetween the aerial vehicle and the camera can provide some level ofmechanical stabilization by compensating for small changes in theposition and orientation of the camera. However, a conventionalelectronic gimbal alone cannot react quickly enough to sufficientlycompensate for high frequency vibrations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosed embodiments have advantages and features which will bemore readily apparent from the detailed description, the appendedclaims, and the accompanying figures (or drawings). A brief introductionof the figures is below.

FIG. (FIG.) 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating an exampleconfiguration of a camera mounted on a gimbal which is, in turn, mountedto a mount platform.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a gimbal coupled to a remote controlledaerial vehicle.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an example of a gimbal and camera.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of an embodiment of a connection mechanismbetween an aerial vehicle and a gimbal.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of an embodiment of the connectionmechanism between the aerial vehicle and the gimbal.

FIG. 6 is a zoomed in view of an embodiment of a connection pointbetween a gimbal sleeve and a vehicle chassis.

FIG. 7A-B are perspective views of an embodiment of a gimbal sleeve.

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of an embodiment of a gimbal sleeve andvehicle chassis.

FIGS. 9A-B are perspective views of an embodiment of a vehicle chassisconnected to a gimbal sleeve.

FIG. 10A is a first free body diagram illustrating examples of forcesapplied to a gimbal sleeve.

FIG. 10B is a second free body diagram illustrating examples of forcesapplied to a gimbal sleeve.

FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram of an example camera architecture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The Figures (FIGS.) and the following description relate to preferredembodiments by way of illustration only. It should be noted that fromthe following discussion, alternative embodiments of the structures andmethods disclosed herein will be readily recognized as viablealternatives that may be employed without departing from the principlesof what is claimed.

Reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments, examples ofwhich are illustrated in the accompanying figures. It is noted thatwherever practicable similar or like reference numbers may be used inthe figures and may indicate similar or like functionality. The figuresdepict embodiments of the disclosed system (or method) for purposes ofillustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize fromthe following description that alternative embodiments of the structuresand methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing fromthe principles described herein.

Configuration Overview

An aerial vehicle may comprise a floor surface having a pair of lowerdampers and a ceiling surface having a pair of upper dampers. Theceiling surface may be substantially parallel to the floor surface. Agimbal sleeve may at least partially extend between the floor surfaceand the ceiling surface. The gimbal sleeve may comprise a mountconnector to connect to a gimbal. The gimbal sleeve may float betweenthe floor surface and the ceiling surface such that the gimbal sleevehas freedom of motion in yaw, pitch, and roll directions relative to thefloor surface and the ceiling surface. The gimbal sleeve may comprise apair of connection points to the lower dampers and a pair of connectionpoints to the upper dampers. A gimbal may be connected to the mountconnector of the gimbal sleeve.

In a particular embodiment, the gimbal sleeve may include a tubestructured to couple with a gimbal connector. The tube may comprise asubstantially cylindrical shape and may have a longitudinal axissubstantially parallel to the floor surface and the ceiling surface.Upper flanges may extend in opposite directions from an outer surface ofthe tube and may be aligned along an upper axis which is substantiallyperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tube and substantiallyparallel to the floor surface and the ceiling surface. The upper axismay be offset in an upper direction from the longitudinal axis of thetube towards the ceiling surface. Lower flanges may extend in oppositedirections from the outer surface of the tube and may be aligned along alower axis. The lower axis may be substantially perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the tube and substantially parallel to the floorsurface and the ceiling surface. The lower axis may be offset in a lowerdirection from the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical towards thefloor surface. Upper pins may extend from the respective upper flangestowards the floor surface and mate with the pair of lower dampers. Lowerpins may extend from the pair of lower flanges towards the ceilingsurface and may mate with the pair of upper dampers. Upper springs maybe positioned around the pair of upper pins and the pair of lowerdampers. The upper springs may apply a spring force between the pair ofupper flanges and the floor surface. Lower springs may be positionedaround the pair of lower pins and the pair of upper dampers. The lowersprings may apply a spring force between the pair of lower flanges andthe ceiling surface.

Example System Configuration

FIG. (FIG.) 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating an examplesystem framework. In this example, a gimbal system 160 includes a gimbal100, an mount platform 110, a camera 120, a detachable frame 130, acamera control connection 140 and a camera output connection 141, and agimbal control system 150. The gimbal 100 may include a sensor unit 101and a control logic unit 102. The mount platform 110 may include acamera controller 111, an image/video receiver 112, and a control logicunit 113. The camera 120 may couple to the detachable camera frame 130which is mounted on the gimbal 100 which is, in turn, coupled to themount platform 110. The coupling between the gimbal 100 and the mountplatform 110 may include a mechanical coupling and a communicationcoupling. The communication coupling may comprise an electricalconnection that enables data to be exchanged between the gimbal 100 andthe mount platform 110 such as, for example, control information,audio/visual information, or other data. The camera control connection140 and a camera output connection 141 may electrically connect thecamera 120 to the mount platform 110 for communication coupling. Thecamera control connection 140 and a camera output connection 141 may becomposed of interconnecting electronic connections and data busses inthe mount platform 110, gimbal 100, detachable camera frame 130 andcamera 120. The gimbal control system 150 may control the gimbal 100using a combination of a sensor unit 101 and a gimbal control logic unit102 in the gimbal 100 and a mount platform control logic unit 113 in themount platform 110.

The camera 120 can include a camera body, one or more a camera lenses,various indicators on the camera body (such as LEDs, displays, and thelike), various input mechanisms (such as buttons, switches, andtouch-screen mechanisms), and electronics (e.g., imaging electronics,power electronics, metadata sensors, etc.) internal to the camera bodyfor capturing images via the one or more lenses and/or performing otherfunctions. The camera 120 can capture images and videos at various framerates, resolutions, and compression rates. The camera 120 can beconnected to the detachable camera frame 130, which mechanicallyconnects to the camera 120 and physically connects to the gimbal 100.FIG. 1 depicts the detachable camera frame 130 enclosing the camera 120in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the detachablecamera frame 130 does not enclose the camera 120, but functions as amount to which the camera 120 couples. Examples of mounts include aframe, an open box, or a plate. Alternately, the detachable camera frame130 can be omitted and the camera 120 can be directly attached to acamera mount which is part of the gimbal 100.

The gimbal 100 is, in some example embodiments, an electronic three-axis gimbal which rotates a mounted object (e.g., a detachable cameraframe 130 connected to a camera 120) in space (e.g., pitch, roll, andyaw). In addition to providing part of an electronic connection betweenthe camera 120 and the mount platform 110, the gimbal may include asensor unit 101 and a control logic unit 102, both of which are part ofa gimbal control system 150. In an embodiment, the gimbal control system150 detects the orientation of the gimbal 100 and camera 120, determinesa preferred orientation of the camera 120, and controls the motors ofthe gimbal in order to re-orient the camera 120 to the preferredorientation. The sensor unit 101 can include an inertial measurementunit (IMU) which measures rotation, orientation, and acceleration usingsensors, such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers. Thesensor unit 101 can also contain rotary encoders, which detect theangular position of the motors of the gimbal 100, and a magnetometer todetect a magnetic field, such as the earth's magnetic field. In someembodiments, the sensors of the sensor unit 101 are placed such as toprovide location diversity. For example, a set of accelerometers andgyroscopes can be located near the camera 120 (e.g., near the connectionto the detachable camera frame 130) and a set of accelerometers andgyroscopes can be placed at the opposite end of the gimbal (e.g., nearthe connection to the mount platform 110). The outputs of these two setsof sensors can be used by the IMU to calculate the orientation androtational acceleration of the camera, which can then be output to thegimbal control system 150. In some embodiments, the sensor unit 101 islocated on the mount platform 110. In some embodiments, the gimbalcontrol system 150 receives data from sensors (e.g., an IMU) on themount platform 110 and from the sensor unit 101 of the gimbal 100. Insome embodiment the sensor unit 101 does not include an IMU and insteadreceives position, acceleration, orientation, and/or angular velocityinformation from an IMU located on the camera 120.

The gimbal control logic unit 102, the sensor unit 101, and the mountplatform control logic unit 113 on the mount platform 110 constitute agimbal control system 150, in one embodiment. As discussed above, theIMU of the sensor unit 101 may produce an output indicative of theorientation, angular velocity, and acceleration of at least one point onthe gimbal 100. The gimbal control logic unit 102 may receive the outputof the sensor unit 101. In some embodiments, the mount platform controllogic unit 113 receives the output of the sensor unit 101 instead of, orin addition to the gimbal control logic unit 102. The combination of thegimbal control logic unit 102 and the mount platform control logic unit113 may implement a control algorithm which controls the motors of thegimbal 100 to adjust the orientation of the mounted object to apreferred position. Thus, the gimbal control system 150 may have theeffect of detecting and correcting deviations from the preferredorientation for the mounted object.

The particular configuration of the two control portions of the gimbalcontrol system 150 may vary between embodiments. In some embodiments,the gimbal control logic unit 102 on the gimbal 100 implements theentire control algorithm and the mount platform control logic unit 113provides parameters which dictate how the control algorithm isimplemented. These parameters can be transmitted to the gimbal 100 whenthe gimbal 100 is originally connected to the mount platform 110. Theseparameters can include a range of allowable angles for each motor of thegimbal 100, the orientation, with respect to gravity, that each motorshould correspond to, a desired angle for at least one of the threespatial axes with which the mounted object should be oriented, andparameters to account for different mass distributions of differentcameras. In another embodiment, the mount platform control logic unit113 performs most of the calculations for the control algorithm and thegimbal control logic unit 102 includes proportional-integral-derivativecontrollers (PID controllers). The PID controllers' setpoints (i.e., thepoints of homeostasis which the PID controllers target) can becontrolled by the mount platform control logic unit 113. The setpointscan correspond to motor orientations or to the orientation of themounted object. In some embodiments, either the gimbal control logicunit 102 or the mount platform control logic unit 113 may be omitted,and the control algorithm may be implemented entirely by the othercontrol logic unit.

The mount platform 110 is shown electrically and mechanically connectedto the gimbal 100. The mount platform 110 may be, for example, an aerialvehicle, a handheld grip, a land vehicle, a rotating mount, a polemount, or a generic mount, each of which can itself be attached to avariety of other platforms. The gimbal 100 may be capable of removablycoupling to a variety of different mount platforms. The mount platform110 can include a camera controller 111, an image/video receiver 112,and the aforementioned control logic unit 113. The image/video receiver112 can receive content (e.g., images captured by the camera 120 orvideo currently being captured by the camera 120). The image/videoreceiver 112 can store the received content on a non-volatile memory inthe mount platform 110. The image/video receiver 112 can also transmitthe content to another device. In some embodiments, the mount platform110 transmits the video currently being captured to a remote controller,with which a user controls the movement of the mount platform 110, via awireless communication network.

The gimbal 100 can be electrically coupled the camera 120 and to themount platform 110 in such a way that the mount platform 110 (e.g., aremote controlled aerial vehicle or a hand grip) can generate commandsvia a camera controller 111 and send the commands to the camera 120.Commands can include a command to toggle the power the camera 120, acommand to begin recording video, a command to stop recording video, acommand to take a picture, a command to take a burst of pictures, acommand to set the frame rate at which a video is recording, or acommand to set the picture or video resolution. Another command that canbe sent from the mount platform 110 through the gimbal 100 to the camera120 can be a command to include a metadata tag in a recorded video or ina set of pictures. In this exemplary configuration, the metadata tagcontains information such as a geographical location or a time. Forexample, a mount platform 110 can send a command through the gimbal 100to record a metadata tag while the camera 120 is recording a video. Whenthe recorded video is later played, certain media players may beconfigured to display an icon or some other indicator in associationwith the time at which the command to record the metadata tag was sent.For example, a media player might display a visual queue, such as anicon, along a video timeline, wherein the position of the visual queuealong the timeline is indicative of the time. The metadata tag can alsoinstruct the camera 120 to record a location, which can be obtained viaa GPS receiver (Global Positioning Satellite receiver) located on themount platform 110, the camera 120, or elsewhere, in a recorded video.Upon playback of the video, the metadata can be used to map ageographical location to the time in a video at which the metadata tagwas added to the recording.

Signals, such as a command originating from the camera controller 111 orvideo content captured by a camera 120 can be transmitted throughelectronic connections which run through the gimbal 100. In someembodiments, telemetric data from a telemetric subsystem of the mountplatform 110 can be sent to the camera 120 to associate with image/videocaptured and stored on the camera 120. A camera control connection 140can connect the camera controller 111 module to the camera 120 and acamera output connection 141 can allow the camera 120 to transmit videocontent or pictures to the image/video receiver 112. The electronicconnections can also provide power to the camera 120, from a batterylocated on the mount platform 110. The battery of the mount platform 110can also power the gimbal 100. In an alternate embodiment, the gimbal100 contains a battery, which can provide power to the camera 120. Theelectrical connections between the camera 120 and the gimbal 110 can runthrough the gimbal 100 and the detachable camera frame 130. Theelectrical connections between the camera 120 and the mount platform 110can constitute a daisy chain or multidrop topology in which the gimbal100 and detachable camera frame 130 act as buses. The electricalconnections can implement various protocols such as HDMI(High-Definition Multimedia Interface), USB (Universal Serial Bus), orEthernet protocols to transmit data. In one embodiment, the cameraoutput connection 141 transmits video data from the camera 120 via theHDMI protocol connection and the camera control connection 140 is a USBconnection. In some embodiments, the electrical connection between thecamera 120 and the mount platform 110 is internal to the gimbal 100. Forexample, in one embodiment, a data bus is substantially enclosed in thegimbal 100 and may be exposed at an interface at either end using, forexample, a male or female interface connector.

In one embodiment, an electrical signal or mechanical mechanism mayenable the gimbal to detect what type of mounting platform 110 it isconnected to so that it can configure itself accordingly. For example, acontrol signal may be sent form the mounting platform 110 to the gimbal100 identifying the platform type. Alternatively, the gimbal 100 maydetect what type of mounting platform 110 it is connected to duringusage based on motion or other sensor data. For example, the gimbal 100can detect whether its motion is more consistent with an aerial vehicleor handheld grip.

Example Aerial Vehicle Configuration

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment in which the mount platform 110 is anaerial vehicle 200. More specifically, the mount platform 110 in thisexample is a quadcopter (i.e., a helicopter with four rotors). Theaerial vehicle 200 in this example includes housing 230 which encloses apayload (e.g., electronics, storage media, and/or camera), four arms235, four rotors 240, and four propellers 245. Each arm 235 maymechanically couple with a rotor 240, which in turn couples with apropeller 245 to create a rotary assembly. When the rotary assembly isoperational, all the propellers 245 may rotate at appropriate speeds toallow the aerial vehicle 200 lift (take off), land, hover, and move(forward, backward) in flight. Modulation of the power supplied to eachof the rotors 240 can control the trajectory and torque on the aerialvehicle 200.

A gimbal 100 is shown coupled to the aerial vehicle 200. A camera 120 isshown enclosed in a removable camera frame 130 which is attached thegimbal 100. The gimbal 100 may be mechanically and electrically coupledto the housing 230 of the aerial vehicle 200 through a removablecoupling mechanism that mates with a reciprocal mechanism on the aerialvehicle 200 having mechanical and communicative capabilities. The gimbal100 can be removed from the aerial vehicle 200. The gimbal 100 can alsobe removably attached to a variety of other mount platforms, such as ahandheld grip, a ground vehicle, and a generic mount, which can itselfbe attached to a variety of platforms. In some embodiments, the gimbal100 can be attached or removed from a mount platform 110 without the useof tools.

The connection between the gimbal 100 and the housing 230 aerial vehicle200 may comprise a floating connection in which the gimbal 100 has somefreedom of motion in various directions with respect to the housing 200of the aerial vehicle 230, thus enabling the gimbal 100 to dampvibrations of the aerial vehicle 200 and improve video stability. Afloating connection mechanism for damping vibrations is described infurther detail below with respect to FIGS. 5-7.

In an embodiment, the aerial vehicle 200 includes a battery that can beused to provide power to the camera 120, the gimbal 100, or both.

Example Gimbal

FIGS. 3A and 3B, illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the gimbal 100attached to a removable camera frame 130, which itself is attached to acamera 120. The example gimbal 100 includes a base arm 310, a middle arm315, a mount arm 320, a first motor 301, a second motor 302, and a thirdmotor 303. Each of the motors 301, 302, 303 can have an associatedrotary encoder, which will detect the rotation of the axel of the motor.Each rotary encoder can be part of the sensor unit 101. The base arm 310can be configured to include a mechanical attachment portion 350 at afirst end that allows the gimbal 100 to securely attach a reciprocalcomponent on another mount platform (e.g., an aerial vehicle 200, aground vehicle, or a handheld grip), and also be removable. The base arm310 also includes the first motor 301. The base arm 310 may mechanicallycouple to the middle arm 315. A first end of the middle arm 315 maymechanically couple to the first motor 301. A second end of the middlearm 315 may mechanically couple to the second motor 302. A first end ofthe mount arm 320 may mechanically couple to the second motor 302. Thesecond end of the mount arm 320 may mechanically couple to the thirdmotor 303 which may mechanically couple to the camera frame 130. Withinthe camera frame 130, the camera 120 may be removably secured.

The gimbal 100 may be configured to allow for rotation of a mountedobject in space. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, themounted object is a camera 120 to which the gimbal 100 is mechanicallycoupled. The gimbal 100 may allow for the camera 120 to maintain aparticular orientation in space so that it remains relatively steady asthe platform to which it is attached moves (e.g., as an aerial vehicle200 tilts or turns during flight). The gimbal 100 may have three motors,each of which rotates the mounted object (e.g., the camera 120) about aspecific axis of rotation. Herein, for ease of discussion, the motorsare numbered by their proximity to the mount platform 110 (i.e., thefirst motor 301, the second motor 302, and the third motor 303).

The gimbal control system 150 may control the three motors 301, 302, and303. After detecting the current orientation of the mounted object, viathe sensor unit 101, the gimbal control system 150 can determine apreferred orientation along each of the three axes of rotation (i.e.,yaw, pitch, and roll). The preferred orientation may be used by thegimbal control system 150 to compute a rotation for each motor in orderto move the camera 120 to the preferred orientation or keep the camera120 in the preferred orientation. In one embodiment, the gimbal controlsystem 150 has a preferred orientation that is configured by the user.The user can input the preferred orientation of the camera 120 with aremote controller. For example, the user can input the preferredorientation with a remote controller for a mounting platform 110, whichsends the preferred orientation for the camera 120 to the mountingplatform 110 (e.g., aerial vehicle 200) through a wireless network,which then provides the preferred orientation to the gimbal controlsystem 150. In some example embodiments, an orientation can be definedrelative to the ground, so that the yaw, pitch, and roll of the cameraremain constant relative to the ground. In some embodiments, certainaxes of rotation can be unfixed. That is, an unfixed axis of rotationmay not be corrected by the gimbal control system 150, but rather mayremain constant relative to the aerial vehicle 200. For example, the yawof the camera 120 can be unfixed, while the roll and the pitch arefixed. In this case, if the yaw of the aerial vehicle 200 changes theyaw of the camera 120 will likewise change, but the roll and the pitchof the camera 120 will remain constant despite roll and pitch rotationsof the aerial vehicle 200.

In some example embodiments, bounds of rotation can be defined whichlimit the rotation along certain axes relative to the connection betweenthe gimbal 110 and the mount platform 110. For example, if α_(max) andα_(min) are the relative maximum and minimum values for the yaw of thecamera 120 relative to the mount platform 110, then if the aerialvehicle 200 is oriented at a yaw of α_(av) degrees, the preferred yaw ofthe camera α_(c) may be chosen by the gimbal control system 150 so thatthe angle α_(c) is between the angles (a_(min)+α_(av)) and(α_(max)+α_(av)). Similar maximum and minimum values can be defined forthe pitch and roll. The maximum and minimum for each of the relativeangles can be defined such that the viewing angle of the camera 120 isnot obstructed by the gimbal 100 and/or the mount platform 110 at anyangle within the valid bounds. In some embodiments, the preferredorientation of the camera 120 is defined using one or more trackingalgorithms, which will be further discussed herein.

The axis to which each motor corresponds can depend on the mountplatform 110 to which the gimbal 100 is attached. For example, whenattached to the aerial vehicle 200, the first motor 301 can rotate themounted object about the roll axis, the second motor 302 can rotate themounted object about the yaw axis and the third motor 303 can rotate themounted object about the pitch axis. However, when the same gimbal 100is attached to a handheld grip, the motors correspond to different axes:the first motor 301 can correspond to yaw axis, and the second motor 302can corresponds to roll axis, while the third motor 303 can stillcorresponds to pitch axis.

In some embodiments, each of the three motors 301, 302, 303 isassociated with an orthogonal axis of rotation. However, in otherembodiments, such as the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B themotors 301, 302, 303 of the gimbal 100 are not orthogonal. A gimbal 100in which the motors are not orthogonal may have at least one motor thatrotates the mounted object about an axis which is not orthogonal to theaxis of rotation of the other motors. In a gimbal 100 in which themotors are not orthogonal, operation of one motor of the gimbal 100 cancause the angle of the camera 120 to shift on the axis of another motor.In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the first motor301 and the third motor 303 have axes of rotation that are orthogonal toeach other, and the second motor 302 and the third motor 303 areorthogonal, but the first motor 301 and second motor 302 are notorthogonal. Because of this configuration, when the gimbal 100 iscoupled to the aerial vehicle 200 and the aerial vehicle 200 is level,operation of the first motor 301 may adjust only the roll of the camera120 and the third motor 303 may adjust only the pitch of the camera 120.The second motor 302 may adjust the yaw primarily, but also may adjustthe pitch and roll of the camera 120. Suppose for the purpose ofexample, the gimbal 100 is attached to the aerial vehicle 200 and thecamera 120 is initially oriented at a pitch, yaw, and roll of 0° andthat the axis of the second motor 302 is orthogonal to the axis of thethird motor 303 and forms an angle of θ degrees with the vertical axis,as depicted in FIG. 3B. In FIG. 3B, the angle θ is measured clockwise,and is about 16° . A rotation of φ degrees (where −180°≦φ≦180°) by thesecond motor 302 may also change the pitch, p, of the camera 120 top=(|φ|*θ)/90° where a pitch greater than 0 corresponds to the camerabeing oriented beneath the horizontal plane (i.e., facing down). Therotation of the second motor 302 by φ degrees may also change the roll,r, of the camera 120 to r=θ*(1−|φ−90°|/90°) in the case where−90°≦φ≦180° and the roll will change to r=−(θ*φ)/90°−θ in the case where−180°≦φ≦−90°. The change in the yaw, y, of the camera 120 may beequivalent to the change in angle of the second motor 120 (i.e., y=φ).

A non-orthogonal motor configuration of the gimbal 100 can allow for alarger range of unobstructed viewing angles for the camera 120. Forexample, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the pitch ofthe camera 120 relative to the connection of the gimbal 100 to the mountplatform 110 (e.g., aerial vehicle 200) can be about 16° higher withoutthe camera's frame being obstructed (i.e., without the motor appearingin the image captured by the camera) than it could with an orthogonalmotor configuration. In some embodiments, the second motor 302 may notbe identical to the other two motors 301, 303. The second motor 302 canbe capable of producing a higher torque than the other two motors 301,303. In another embodiment, a different one of the motors 301, 302, 303may be capable of producing a higher torque than the other two motors.In another embodiment, all three motors 301, 302, 303 may be capable ofproducing different amounts of torque. In yet another embodiment, allthree motors 301, 302, 303 may be capable of producing substantiallysimilar torques.

A larger value of θ(the angle between the second motor 302 and the axisorthogonal to the rotational axes of the other two motors) in anon-orthogonal motor configuration can provide a larger range of viewingangles for the mounted camera 120, but a larger θ will result in ahigher maximum torque than a comparable orthogonal motor configuration.Thus, embodiments in which the motors are not orthogonal can implement avalue of θ in which the two design considerations of a large viewingangle for the camera 120 and the torque from the motors are optimized.Consequently, the choice of θ will depend on many factors, such as thetargeted price point of the gimbal 100, the type of cameras supported,the desired use cases of the gimbal, the available motor technology,among other things. It is noted that by way of example, θ can be between0°≦θ≦30°. In another embodiment, θ can be between 5°≦θ≦30°. Other rangesare also possible.

The gimbal 100 can support a plurality of different cameras withdifferent mass distributions. Each camera can have a correspondingdetachable camera frame (e.g., camera 120 corresponds to the detachablecamera frame 130), which secures the camera. A detachable camera frame130 may have an electrical connector, or a multiplicity of electricalconnectors, which couple to the gimbal 100 and an electrical connector,or a multiplicity of electrical connectors, which couple to the camera120. Thus, the detachable camera frame 130 may include a bus for sendingsignals from the camera to the gimbal 100, which can, in some cases, berouted to the mount platform 110. In some embodiments, each detachablecamera frame has the same types of electrical connectors for coupling tothe gimbal 100, but the type of electrical connector that connects tothe camera is specific to the type of camera. In another embodiment, thedetachable camera frame 130 provides no electronic connection betweenthe camera 120 and the gimbal 100, and the camera 120 and gimbal 100 aredirectly electrical connected (e.g., via a cable). In some embodiments,the gimbal 100 does not contain a bus and the camera 120 and the mountplatform 110 communicate via a wireless connection (e.g., BLUETOOTH orWiFi).

In some example embodiments, the gimbal 100 may have a mount connector304 (shown in FIG. 3B, but not in FIG. 3A) which allows the gimbal 100to electronically couple to the mount platform 110 (e.g., the aerialvehicle 200). The mount connector 304 can include a power connectionwhich provides power to the gimbal 100 and the camera 120. The mountconnector 304 can also allow communication between the sensor unit 101and the gimbal control logic unit 102 on the gimbal 100 and the mountplatform control logic unit 113 on the mount platform 110. In someembodiments, the mount connector 304 electrically connects to the camera120 via busses (e.g., a camera control connection 140 and a cameraoutput connection 141) which allow communication between the mountplatform 110 and the camera 120.

The gimbal 100 also can couple mechanically to a mount platform 110 suchas the housing 230 of the aerial vehicle 110 via a mechanical attachmentportion 350. In an embodiment, the gimbal 100 is a modular device thatcan be quickly and easily connected and disconnected from a mountingplatform 350 (e.g., aerial vehicle 200, handheld grip, rotating mount,etc.). For example, in one embodiment, mechanical attachment portion 350comprises a quick-release mechanism or other mechanism that does notrequire tools. The mechanical attachment portion 350 can be part of thebase arm 310. The mechanical attachment portion 350 can include amechanical locking mechanism to securely attach a reciprocal componenton a mount platform 110 (e.g., an aerial vehicle 200, a ground vehicle,an underwater vehicle, or a handheld grip). The example mechanicallocking mechanism shown in FIG. 3A and 3B includes a groove with achannel in which a key (e.g., a tapered pin or block) on a reciprocalcomponent on a mount platform 110 can fit. The gimbal 100 can be lockedwith the mount platform 110 in a first position and unlocked in a secondposition, allowing for detachment of the gimbal 100 from the mountplatform 110. The mechanical attachment portion 350 may mechanicallyconnect to a reciprocal component on a mount platform 110 in which themechanical attachment portion 350 may be configured as a female portionof a sleeve coupling and where the mount platform 110 may be configuredas a male portion of a sleeve coupling. Alternatively, the mechanicalattachment portion 350 may be configured as a male portion of a sleevecoupling and the mount platform may be configured a female portion of asleeve coupling. The connection mechanism is described in further detailbelow with respect to FIGS. 5-7.

If the gimbal 100 supports multiple different cameras of differing massdistributions, the differences in mass and moments of inertia betweencameras might cause the gimbal 100 to perform sub-optimally. A varietyof techniques are suggested herein for allowing a single gimbal 100 tobe used with cameras of different mass distributions. The detachablecamera frame 130 can hold the camera 120 in such a way that thedetachable frame 130 and camera 120 act as a single rigid body. In someexample embodiments, each camera which can be coupled to the gimbal 100has a corresponding detachable frame, and each pair of camera and framehave masses and moments of inertia which are approximately the same. Forexample, if m_(ca) and m_(fa) are the masses of a first camera and itscorresponding detachable frame, respectively, and if m_(ch) and m_(fb)are the masses of a second camera and its corresponding detachableframe, then, m_(ca)+m_(fa)≈m_(cb)+m_(fb). Also, I_(ca) and I_(fa) arethe matrices representing the moments of inertia for the axes aroundabout which the first camera rotates for the first camera and thecorresponding detachable frame, respectively. In addition, I_(cb) andI_(fb) are the corresponding matrices for the second camera and thecorresponding detachable frame, respectively. Thereafter,I_(ca)+I_(fa)≈I_(cb)+I_(fb), where “+” denotes the matrix additionoperator.) Since the mounted object which is being rotated by the gimbalis the rigid body of the camera and detachable camera frame pair, themass profile of the mounted object does not vary although the massprofile of the camera itself does. Thus, by employing detachable cameraframes e.g., 130, with specific mass profiles a single gimbal 100 cancouple to a multiplicity of cameras with different mass profiles.

In alternate embodiments, the mass profile of the camera 120 anddetachable frame 130 pair is different for each different type ofcamera, but control parameters used in the control algorithms,implemented by the gimbal control system 150, which control the motors,are changed to compensate for the different mass profiles of each paircamera and detachable camera frame. These control parameters can specifythe acceleration of a motor, a maximum or minimum for the velocity of amotor, a torque exerted by a motor, a current draw of a motor, and avoltage of a motor. In one embodiment, the camera 120 and/or the cameraframe 130 is communicatively coupled to either the gimbal 100 or themount platform 110, and upon connection of a camera 120 to the gimbal100 information is sent from the camera 120 to the gimbal control system150 which initiates the update of control parameters used to control themotors of the gimbal 100. The information can be the control parametersused by the gimbal control system 150, information about the massprofile (e.g., mass or moment of inertia) of the camera 120 and/ordetachable camera mount 130, or an identifier for the camera 120 or thecamera mount 130. If the information sent to the gimbal control system150 is a mass profile, then the gimbal control system 150 can calculatecontrol parameters from the mass profile. If the information is anidentifier for the camera 120 or the detachable camera frame 130, thegimbal control system 150 can access a non-volatile memory which storessets of control parameters mapped to identifiers in order to obtain thecorrect set of control parameters for a given identifier.

In some embodiments, the gimbal 100 may be capable of performing anauto-calibration sequence. This auto-calibration sequence may beperformed in response to a new camera 120 being connected to the gimbal100, in response to an unrecognized camera 120 being attached to thegimbal 100, in response to a new mount platform 110 being connected tothe gimbal, or in response to an input from a user. Auto-calibration mayinvolve moving the gimbal 100 to a number of set orientations. The speedat which the gimbal re-orients the camera 120 can be measured andcompared to an expected speed. The torque exerted by the motor, thecurrent draw of the motor, the voltage used to motor can be adjusted sothat the movement of the gimbal 100 is desirable.

In some embodiments, the movement characteristics of the gimbal 100 maybe adjusted according the type of mount platform 110 that the gimbal 100is connected to. For example, each type of mount platform 110 canspecify the maximum rotation speed of the gimbal 100, the maximum torqueapplied by the motors 301, 302, 303, or the weight given to theproportional, integral, and derivative feedback components used in a PIDcontroller used to control a motor 301, 302, or 303. In someembodiments, the motor power used for motion damping is determined basedon the type of connected mount platform 110. Furthermore, the gimbal 100may operate within different angle ranges along each of the roll, pitch,and yaw dimensions depending on the mount platform 110. For example, thepossible angles of rotation may include a wider range when the gimbal100 is mounted to a handheld grip than when it is mounted to an aerialvehicle.

Furthermore, as a safety and self-protection parameter, in oneembodiment a motor power timeout may be triggered when excessiveresistance is detected on any motor axis for a given period of time.Furthermore, for power savings, the gimbal 100 may cut power to themotors when it detects a lack of movement indicating that it is not inuse. Power may be re-a pplied automatically when the gimbal 100 detectsthat it is in use again. Additionally, in one embodiment, the gimbal 100can only be powered on when it detects that is attached to both acompatible camera 120 and a compatible mounting platform 110 and whenthe mounting platform 110 can provide sufficient power to both devices.

In one embodiment, the gimbal control system 150 may obtain periodicfirmware updates. In one embodiment, the gimbal control system 150 mayreceive a firmware update via an attached handheld grip. For example,the handheld grip may receive the update via a connection (e.g., USB) toa computing device and the update may be flashed to the gimbal controlsystem 150 via the handheld grip. In another embodiment, the gimbalcontrol system 150 may be updated via a connected camera 120. In thiscase, the camera 120 may receive an update via a connected mobileapplication on a mobile device and subsequently transfer the update tothe gimbal control system 150. In yet another embodiment, when thegimbal 100 is being used with an aerial vehicle, an update may bereceived on a remote control operating the aerial vehicle. The remotecontrol alerts the user that an update is available and then wirelesslytransmits the update to the aerial vehicle, which in turn sends theupdate to the gimbal 100. In other embodiments, firmware updates may bereceived via other mounting platforms 120 or via other wired or wirelessconnections.

In an embodiment, the gimbal 100 is constructed of a highly durable(e.g., to withstand impact) and wear-resistant material for surfacefinishing. Furthermore, the gimbal 100 may be constructed of materialsrigid enough to limit sensor errors. Furthermore, the gimbal may besubstantially waterproof and flameproof. In one embodiment, the gimbal100 has dimensions in the range of approximately 80-100 mm in width,70-90 mm in depth, and 80-100 mm in height.

Damping Connection

FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view of a first embodiment of a dampingmechanism for connecting the aerial vehicle 200 and the gimbal 100. FIG.5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the damping mechanism. FIG. 6illustrates a zoomed in view of portion of the damping mechanism. FIGS.4-6 are described together herein for clarity and convenience. FIGS. 4-6are simplified for illustrative purposes, and thus the shapes, relativesizes, and relative positions of the components of the dampingconnection may vary.

As illustrated, a vehicle chassis 410 may comprise a portion of thehousing 230 (e.g., a front portion or a rear portion) includes a floorsurface 416, a ceiling surface 418 substantially parallel to the floorsurface, and various side wall surfaces. The floor surface 416 andceiling surface 418 may each include multiple segments, which may bediscontinuous. A pair of lower dampers 412 may be coupled to the floorsurface 416. In an embodiment, the lower dampers 412 may be positionednear a front end of the aerial vehicle 200 where the gimbal connects 100(e.g., as shown in FIG. 2). The lower dampers 412 may include aleft-side damper 412-a and a right-side damper 412-b on either side ofthe aerial vehicle 200 (e.g., when viewed from the front). Upper dampers452 may be similarly coupled to the ceiling surface 418. In anembodiment, the upper dampers 452 may be positioned behind the lowerdampers 412 when viewed from the front (e.g., closer to the rear of theaerial vehicle 200). The upper dampers 452 may similarly include aleft-side damper 452-a and a right-side damper 452-b on either side ofthe aerial vehicle 200 (when viewed from the front).

A gimbal sleeve 420 may at least partially extend into the vehiclechassis 410 between the floor surface 416 and the ceiling surface 418.The gimbal sleeve 420 may include a tube 442 structured to mate with themount connector 304 of the gimbal 100 described above. The tube 442 mayhave a longitudinal axis 432 through a center of the circularcross-section of the tube 442. When the gimbal sleeve 420 (having thegimbal 100, camera 120, and camera frame 130 attached) is coupled withthe gimbal chassis 410 at an equilibrium position, the longitudinal axis432 may be substantially parallel to the floor surface 416 and theceiling surface 418. A pair of upper flanges 422 (e.g., a left upperflange 422-a and a right upper flange 422-b) may extend in oppositedirections from the cylindrical tube 442. The upper flanges 422 may bealigned along an upper axis 434 that is substantially perpendicular tothe longitudinal axis 432 of the cylindrical tube 442 and issubstantially parallel to the floor surface 416 and the ceiling surface418 when the gimbal sleeve 420 is at an equilibrium position. The upperaxis 434 may furthermore be offset in an upper direction (e.g., towardsthe ceiling surface 418) from the longitudinal axis 432 of thecylindrical tube 442. A pair of lower flanges 424 (e.g., a left lowerflange 424-a and a right lower flange 424-b) may extend in oppositedirections from the cylindrical tube 442 and may be aligned along alower axis 436 that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinalaxis 432 of the cylindrical tube 442 and is substantially parallel tothe floor surface 416 and the ceiling surface 418 of the chassis 410when the gimbal sleeve 420 is at an equilibrium position relative to thechassis 410. The lower axis 436 may be offset in a lower direction(e.g., towards the floor surface 416) from the longitudinal axis 432 ofthe cylindrical tube 442. Upper pins 432 (e.g., a left upper pin 432-aand a right upper pin 432-b) may extend from the respective upperflanges 422 towards the floor surface 416 and mate with the respectivelower dampers 412. Lower pins 444 (e.g., a left lower pin 444-a and aright lower pin 444-b) may extend from the respective lower flanges 424and mate with the respective upper dampers 452. Upper springs 414 (e.g.,a left upper spring 414-a and a right upper spring 414-b) may bepositioned around each of the respective upper pins 432 and lowerdampers 412 and may be compressed between the respective upper flanges422 and the floor surface 416. Similarly, lower springs 446 (e.g., aleft lower spring 446-a and a right lower spring 446-b) may bepositioned around each of the respective lower pins 444 and upperdampers 452 may be compressed between the lower flanges 424 and theceiling surface 418 of the chassis 410. The upper springs 414 and lowersprings 446 may be compressive springs.

In an embodiment, the pins 432, 444 comprise a shaft with ball end thatmates with a corresponding socket of respective dampers 452, 412. Theball ends may have rotational freedom of motion within the correspondingsocket and may also move vertically and/or laterally within the sockets.In other embodiments, the sockets may be configured to only enablevertical motion of the pins 432, 444 while restricting rotational and/orlateral movement. In an embodiment, the sockets include a fluid-filledchamber (e.g., oil-filled) that absorbs vibrations of the pin 432, 444.

FIGS. 7A-B illustrate perspective views of an assembled gimbal sleeve420. FIGS. 7A-B illustrate the gimbal sleeve 420 in more detail than inFIGS. 4-6, but the description of the components described above mayalso apply to FIGS. 7A-B. FIGS. 7A-B also illustrate a particularimplementation in which the upper flanges 422 are part of an upper brace702 (not shown in FIGS. 4-6) that is attached above the tube 442. Forexample, in one embodiment the upper brace 702 may partially cover thetop of the tube 442 with the upper flanges 442 extending horizontallybeyond the diameter of the tube 442.

Furthermore, FIGS. 7A-B illustrate a particular implementation in whichthe lower flanges 424 are part of a lower brace 704 (not shown in FIGS.4-6) that is attached to the tube 442. For example, in one embodiment,the lower brace 704 may include an inner tube portion that extends intoand couples with the tube 442 and furthermore includes a connectingportion that may be connected to the upper brace 702. The upper brace702 and lower brace 704 may provide structural support for the gimbalsleeve 420.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exploded view showing the tube 442, upper brace702, lower brace 704 and vehicle chassis 410, while omitting othercomponents such as the dampers 412, 452, pins, 432, 444, and springs414, 446 for clarity of illustration. FIGS. 9A-B illustrate detailedviews of the assembled gimbal sleeve 420 and vehicle chassis 410. Asseen in FIGS. 9A-B the gimbal sleeve 420 may be positioned within anopening of the vehicle chassis 410 structured such that the connectionpoints between the dampers 412, 452, springs 446, 414 and pins 432, 444represent the only connection points between the gimbal sleeve 420 andthe vehicle chassis 410. This connection configuration enables thegimbal sleeve 420 to float within the vehicle chassis 410 such that ithas freedom of motion in each of the yaw, pitch, and roll directions.The dampers 412, 452, and springs 446, 414 operate to reduce the amountof vibrations transferred from the aerial vehicle to the gimbal 100 (andto the camera 120) and restore the gimbal sleeve 420 to an equilibriumposition in response to external vibrations.

FIG. 10A is a simplified free-b ody diagram illustrating forces on thegimbal sleeve 420. In the diagram, W represents the weight of the gimbalsleeve 420, gimbal 100, camera 120 and any other attached accessoriessuch as the camera frame 130 or other housing, F₁ represents the forceof the upper springs 414, and F₂ represents the force of the lowersprings 446. As can be seen from FIG. 10A, the gimbal sleeve 420 maybehave as a cantilever. The spring constants and damper designs may beselected in order to return the gimbal sleeve 420 to an equilibriumposition absent external forces.

In alternative embodiments, the positions of the upper flanges 422 (andcorresponding upper pins 432, upper springs 414, and lower dampers 412)and lower flanges 424 (and corresponding lower pins 444, lower springs446, and upper dampers 452) may be reversed such that the lower flanges424 (and corresponding components) are near the front of the aerialvehicle 200 and the upper flanges 422 (and corresponding components) arebehind the lower flanges 424 (towards the rear of the aerial vehicle200). In this embodiment, the compressive springs 414, 446 may bereplaced with tension springs. FIG. 10B illustrates a simplified freebody diagram for this configuration. Here, a force F₁ may be applied bya first set of tension springs to pull the gimbal sleeve 420 towards theceiling surface of the vehicle chassis 410 at a first set of attachmentspoints near the front of the vehicle 200 and a force F₂ may be appliedby a second set of tension springs to pull the gimbal sleeve 420 towardsthe floor surface of the vehicle chassis 410 at a second set ofattachments points behind the first set of attachment points.

In other alternative embodiments, the gimbal sleeve 420 and vehiclechassis 410 may have only two damped connections as described aboveinstead of four. For example, damped connections may exist with thefloor surface of the aerial vehicle 410 but not the ceiling surface 420or vice versa.

In yet other embodiments, different types of dampers 412, 452 may beused that are not necessarily fluid-b ased. Furthermore, different typesof damped connections may be used for the attachment points between theflanges 422, 424 and the ceiling surface 418 and floor surface 416 thatdoes not necessarily include a pin 432, 444 with a ball end, dampers412, 452 with ball sockets, and springs 414, 446.

Example Camera Architecture

FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram of an example camera architecture.The example camera architecture 1105 corresponds to an architecture forthe camera, e.g., 120. In one embodiment, the camera 120 is capable ofcapturing spherical or substantially spherical content. As used herein,spherical content may include still images or video having spherical orsubstantially spherical field of view. For example, in one embodiment,the camera 120 captures video having a 360° field of view in thehorizontal plane and a 180° field of view in the vertical plane.Alternatively, the camera 120 may capture substantially spherical imagesor video having less than 360° in the horizontal direction and less than180° in the vertical direction (e.g., within 10% of the field of viewassociated with fully spherical content). In other embodiments, thecamera 120 may capture images or video having a non-spherical wide anglefield of view.

As described in greater detail below, the camera 120 can include sensors1140 to capture metadata associated with video data, such as timingdata, motion data, speed data, acceleration data, altitude data, GPSdata, and the like. In an example embodiment, location and/or timecentric metadata (geographic location, time, speed, etc.) can beincorporated into a media or image file together with the capturedcontent in order to track over time the location of the camera 120 orthe subject being recorded. This metadata may be captured by the camera120 itself or by another device (e.g., a mobile phone, the aerialvehicle 200, or a data tracker worn by a subject such as a smart watchor fitness tracker equipped with tracking software or a dedicated radiofrequency tracker) proximate to the camera 120. In one embodiment, themetadata may be incorporated with the content stream by the camera 120as the spherical content is being captured. In another embodiment, ametadata file separate from the video or image file may be captured (bythe same capture device or a different capture device) and the twoseparate files can be combined or otherwise processed together inpost-processing. It is noted that these sensors 1140 can be in additionto sensors in a telemetric subsystem of the aerial vehicle 200. Inembodiments in which the camera 120 is integrated with the aerialvehicle 200, the camera need not have separate individual sensors, butrather could rely upon the sensors integrated with the aerial vehicle200 or another external device.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11, the camera 120 may comprise acamera core 1110 comprising a lens 1112, an image sensor 1114, and animage processor 1116. The camera 120 additionally may include a systemcontroller 1120 (e.g., a microcontroller or microprocessor) thatcontrols the operation and functionality of the camera 120 and systemmemory 1130 configured to store executable computer instructions that,when executed by the system controller 1120 and/or the image processors1116, perform the camera functionalities described herein. In someembodiments, a camera 120 may include multiple camera cores 1110 tocapture fields of view in different directions which may then bestitched together to form a cohesive image. For example, in anembodiment of a spherical camera system, the camera 120 may include twocamera cores 1110 each having a hemispherical or hyper hemisphericallens that each capture a hemispherical or hyper-hemispherical field ofview which are stitched together in post-processing to form a sphericalimage.

The lens 1112 can be, for example, a wide angle lens, hemispherical, orhyper hemispherical lens that focuses light entering the lens to theimage sensor 1114 which captures images and/or video frames. The imagesensor 1114 may capture high-definition images having a resolution of,for example, 720p, 1080p, 4k, or higher. In one embodiment, sphericalvideo is captured in a resolution of 5760 pixels by 2880 pixels with a360° horizontal field of view and a 180° vertical field of view. Forvideo, the image sensor 1114 may capture video at frame rates of, forexample, 30 frames per second, 60 frames per second, or higher.

The image processor 1116 performs one or more image processing functionsof the captured images or video. For example, the image processor 1116may perform a Bayer transformation, demosaicing, noise reduction, imagesharpening, image stabilization, rolling shutter artifact reduction,color space conversion, compression, or other in-camera processingfunctions. The image processor 1116 may be configured to performreal-time stitching of images, for example, when images are capturedfrom two or more cameras configured to capture images. Such exampleconfigurations may include, for example, an activity camera (which mayinclude a spherical image capture camera) with image sensors, each witha substantially different field of view (FOV), but where there may besome overlap where the images can be stitched together. Processed imagesand video may be temporarily or persistently stored to system memory1130 and/or to a non-volatile storage, which may be in the form ofinternal storage or an external memory card.

An input/output (I/O) interface 1160 may transmit and receive data fromvarious external devices. For example, the I/O interface 1160 mayfacilitate the receiving or transmitting video or audio informationthrough an I/O port. Examples of I/O ports or interfaces include USBports, HDMI ports, Ethernet ports, audio ports, and the like.Furthermore, embodiments of the I/O interface 1160 may include wirelessports that can accommodate wireless connections. Examples of wirelessports include Bluetooth, Wireless USB, Near Field Communication (NFC),cellular (mobile) communication protocols, short range Wifi, etc., andthe like. The I/O interface 1160 may also include an interface tosynchronize the camera 120 with other cameras or with other externaldevices, such as a remote control, a second camera, a smartphone, aclient device, or a video server.

A control/display subsystem 1170 includes various control and displaycomponents associated with operation of the camera 120 including, forexample, LED lights, a display, buttons, microphones, speakers, and thelike. The audio subsystem 1150 includes, for example, one or moremicrophones and one or more audio processors to capture and processaudio data correlated with video capture. In one embodiment, the audiosubsystem 1150 includes a microphone array having two or moremicrophones arranged to obtain directional audio signals.

Sensors 1140 may capture various metadata concurrently with, orseparately from, video capture. For example, the sensors 1140 maycapture time-stamped location information based on a global positioningsystem (GPS) sensor, and/or an altimeter. Other sensors 1140 may be usedto detect and capture orientation of the camera 120 including, forexample, an orientation sensor, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or amagnetometer. Sensor data captured from the various sensors 1140 may beprocessed to generate other types of metadata. For example, sensor datafrom the accelerometer may be used to generate motion metadata,comprising velocity and/or acceleration vectors representative of motionof the camera 120. Furthermore, sensor data from the aerial vehicle 200and/or the gimbal 100 may be used to generate orientation metadatadescribing the orientation of the camera 120. Sensor data from a GPSsensor can provide GPS coordinates identifying the location of thecamera 120, and the altimeter can measure the altitude of the camera120.

In one example embodiment, the sensors 1140 may be rigidly coupled tothe camera 120 such that any motion, orientation or change in locationexperienced by the camera 120 is also experienced by the sensors 1140.The sensors 1140 furthermore may associate one or more time stampsrepresenting when the data was captured by each sensor. In oneembodiment, the sensors 1140 automatically begin collecting sensormetadata when the camera 120 begins recording a video.

Additional Considerations

The processes and functions described herein attributed to the gimbal100, camera 120, mount platform 110, aerial vehicle 200, or otherdevices may be implemented via hardware, software, firmware, or acombination of these. In embodiments described herein, each of theabove-named devices may include one or more processors and one or morenon-transitory computer-readable storage mediums. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage mediums may store instructions executable byone or more of the processors that when executed cause the processor tocarry out the processes and functions of the respective devicesdescribed herein.

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in example configurationsmay be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly,structures and functionality presented as a single component may beimplemented as separate components. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of thesubject matter herein.

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a numberof components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules may constitute eithersoftware modules (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readable medium or ina transmission signal) or hardware modules. A hardware module is atangible unit capable of performing certain operations and may beconfigured or arranged in a certain manner. In example embodiments, oneor more computer systems (e.g., a standalone, client or server computersystem) or one or more hardware modules of a computer system (e.g., aprocessor or a group of processors) may be configured by software (e.g.,an application or application portion) as a hardware module thatoperates to perform certain operations as described herein.

In various embodiments, a hardware module may be implementedmechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware module maycomprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured(e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a field programmable gatearray (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) toperform certain operations. A hardware module may also compriseprogrammable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within ageneral-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that istemporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. Itwill be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware modulemechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors, that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modulesreferred to herein may, in some example embodiments, compriseprocessor-implemented modules.

The one or more processors may also operate to support performance ofthe relevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a“software as a service” (SaaS). For example, at least some of theoperations may be performed by a group of computers (as examples ofmachines including processors), these operations being accessible via anetwork (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces(e.g., application program interfaces (APIs).)

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe one or more processors, not only residing within a single machine,but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments,the one or more processors or processor-implemented modules may belocated in a single geographic location (e.g., within a homeenvironment, an office environment, or a server farm). In other exampleembodiments, the one or more processors or processor-implemented modulesmay be distributed across a number of geographic locations.

Some portions of this specification are presented in terms of algorithmsor symbolic representations of operations on data stored as bits orbinary digital signals within a machine memory (e.g., a computermemory). These algorithms or symbolic representations are examples oftechniques used by those of ordinary skill in the data processing artsto convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. Asused herein, an “algorithm” is a self-consistent sequence of operationsor similar processing leading to a desired result. In this context,algorithms and operations involve physical manipulation of physicalquantities. Typically, but not necessarily, such quantities may take theform of electrical, magnetic, or optical signals capable of beingstored, accessed, transferred, combined, compared, or otherwisemanipulated by a machine. It is convenient at times, principally forreasons of common usage, to refer to such signals using words such as“data,” “content,” “bits,” “values,” “elements,” “symbols,”“characters,” “terms,” “numbers,” “numerals,” or the like. These words,however, are merely convenient labels and are to be associated withappropriate physical quantities.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, discussions herein using wordssuch as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,”“presenting,” “displaying,” or the like may refer to actions orprocesses of a machine (e.g., a computer) that manipulates or transformsdata represented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical)quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory,non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof), registers, or othermachine components that receive, store, transmit, or displayinformation.

As used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment is included in at least oneembodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in variousplaces in the specification are not necessarily all referring to thesame embodiment.

Some embodiments may be described using the expression “coupled” and“connected” along with their derivatives. For example, some embodimentsmay be described using the term “coupled” to indicate that two or moreelements are in direct physical or electrical contact. The term“coupled,” however, may also mean that two or more elements are not indirect contact with each other, but yet still co-operate or interactwith each other. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,”“including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, areintended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process,method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is notnecessarily limited to only those elements but may include otherelements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method,article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary,“or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example,a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true(or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or notpresent) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (orpresent).

In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elementsand components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely forconvenience and to give a general sense of the invention. Thisdescription should be read to include one or at least one and thesingular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meantotherwise.

Upon reading this disclosure, those of skill in the art will appreciatestill additional alternative structural and functional designs for thedisclosed embodiments. Thus, while particular embodiments andapplications have been illustrated and described, it is to be understoodthat the disclosed embodiments are not limited to the preciseconstruction and components disclosed herein. Various modifications,changes and variations, which will be apparent to those skilled in theart, may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the methodand apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the spirit andscope defined in the appended claims.

1. An aerial vehicle with a floating gimbal connector, the aerialvehicle comprising: a vehicle chassis comprising: a floor surfacecomprising a pair of lower dampers; a ceiling surface comprising a pairof upper dampers, the ceiling surface substantially parallel to thefloor surface; a gimbal sleeve at least partially extending into thevehicle chassis between the floor surface and the ceiling surface, thegimbal sleeve comprising: a tube structured to couple with a gimbalconnector, the tube comprising a substantially cylindrical shape, thetube having a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the floorsurface and the ceiling surface; a pair of upper flanges extending inopposite directions from an outer surface of the cylindrical tube andaligned along an upper axis, the upper axis substantially perpendicularto the longitudinal axis of the tube and substantially parallel to thefloor surface and the ceiling surface, and the upper axis offset in anupper direction from the longitudinal axis of the tube towards theceiling surface; a pair of lower flanges extending in oppositedirections from the outer surface of the tube and aligned along a loweraxis, the lower axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinalaxis of the tube and substantially parallel to the floor surface and theceiling surface, the lower axis offset in a lower direction from thelongitudinal axis of the tube towards the floor surface; a pair of upperpins extending from the pair of upper flanges towards the floor surfaceand mating with the pair of lower dampers; and a pair of lower pinsextending from the pair of lower flanges towards the ceiling surface andmating with the pair of upper dampers; a pair of upper springs aroundthe pair of upper pins and the pair of lower dampers, the pair of uppersprings applying a spring force between the pair of upper flanges andthe floor surface; and a pair of lower springs around the pair of lowerpins and the pair of upper dampers, the pair of lower springs applying aspring force between the pair of lower flanges and the ceiling surface.2. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the pair of lower dampers andthe pair of upper dampers each comprise a fluid-filled chamber to absorbmotion of the respective upper and lower pins.
 3. The aerial vehicle ofclaim 1, wherein each of the upper and lower pins comprise a ball endthat mates with a corresponding socket of respective lower and upperdampers, the ball end having rotational freedom of motion with thecorresponding socket.
 4. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, whereincouplings between the upper and lower pins with respective lower andupper dampers are the only mechanical connections between the vehiclechassis and the gimbal sleeve.
 5. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, whereinthe lower dampers are positioned near a front edge of the vehiclechassis and wherein the upper dampers are positioned behind the lowerdampers.
 6. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the gimbal sleeveextends from a front edge of the vehicle, the gimbal sleeve to receivethe gimbal connector of a mechanical gimbal structured to support acamera.
 7. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the gimbal sleevefurther comprises: an upper brace partially covering an upper portion ofthe tube, wherein the upper flanges extend from the upper brace.
 8. Theaerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the gimbal sleeve further comprises:a lower brace having a tube portion partially extending into the tube,wherein the lower flanges extend from the lower brace.
 9. The aerialvehicle of claim 8, further comprising: an upper brace partiallycovering an upper portion of the tube, wherein the upper flanges extendfrom the upper brace, wherein the upper brace is coupled to the lowerbrace.
 10. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the gimbal sleevecomprises a cantilever to support a weight of the gimbal.
 11. A floatinggimbal connector for connecting a gimbal to a mounting platform, thefloating gimbal connector comprising: a tube structured to couple with agimbal connector, the tube comprising a substantially cylindrical shape,the tube having a longitudinal axis; a pair of upper flanges extendingin opposite directions from an outer surface of the tube and alignedalong an upper axis, the upper axis substantially perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the tube, and the upper axis offset in an upperdirection from the longitudinal axis of the tube; a pair of lowerflanges extending in opposite directions from the outer surface of thecylindrical tube and aligned along a lower axis, the lower axissubstantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cylindricaltube, the lower axis offset in a lower direction from the longitudinalaxis of the tube; a pair of upper pins extending downward from the pairof upper flanges; a pair of lower dampers mating with the pair of upperpins; a pair of lower pins extending upward from the pair of lowerflanges; a pair of upper dampers mating with the pair of lower pins; apair of upper springs around the pair of upper pins and the pair oflower dampers; and a pair of lower springs around the pair of lower pinsand the pair of upper dampers.
 12. The floating gimbal connector ofclaim 11, wherein the pair of lower dampers and the pair of upperdampers each comprise a fluid-filled chamber to absorb motion of therespective upper and lower pins.
 13. The floating gimbal connector ofclaim 11, further comprising: an upper brace partially covering an upperportion of the tube, wherein the upper flanges extend from the upperbrace.
 14. The floating gimbal connector of claim 11, furthercomprising: a lower brace having a tube portion partially extending intothe tube, wherein the lower flanges extend from the lower brace.
 15. Thefloating gimbal connector of claim 14, further comprising: an upperbrace partially covering an upper portion of the tube, wherein the upperflanges extend from the upper brace, wherein the upper brace is coupledto the lower brace.
 16. The floating gimbal connector of claim 11,wherein the pair of upper pins and the pair of lower pins each comprisea ball end that mates with a corresponding socket of respective lowerand upper dampers, the ball end having rotational freedom of motionwithin the corresponding socket.
 17. An aerial vehicle, comprising: afloor surface comprising a pair of lower dampers; a ceiling surfacecomprising a pair of upper dampers, the ceiling surface substantiallyparallel to the floor surface; a gimbal sleeve at least partiallybetween the floor surface and the ceiling surface, the gimbal sleevecomprising a mount connector to connector a gimbal, the gimbal sleevefloating between the floor surface and the ceiling surface such that thegimbal sleeve has freedom of motion in yaw, pitch, and roll directionsrelative to the floor surface and the ceiling surface, the gimbal sleevecomprising a pair of connection points to the lower dampers and a pairof connection points to the upper dampers; and a gimbal connected to themount connector of the gimbal sleeve.
 18. The aerial vehicle of claim17, wherein the pair of connection points to the lower dampers and thepair of connection points to the upper dampers each comprise a pinhaving a ball end that mates with a corresponding socket of respectivelower and upper dampers, the ball end having rotational freedom ofmotion within the corresponding socket.
 19. The aerial vehicle of claim17, wherein the pair of connection points to the lower dampers and thepair of connection points to the upper dampers are the only connectionsof the floating gimbal connector to a vehicle chassis.
 20. The aerialvehicle of claim 17, wherein the pair of lower dampers and the pair ofupper dampers each comprise a fluid-filled chamber to absorb motion ofthe respective connection points.